KNOXVILLE – It was inevitable one of the six scholarship freshmen in the Tennessee men’s basketball program would redshirt this season.
The Volunteers have identified which rookie it will be.
After Tuesday night’s 103-94 win against Appalachian State, coach Rick Barnes said Jalen Johnson, the 6-foot-5, 177-pound wing from North Carolina, would not play this season.
“We obviously have a lot of numbers,” Barnes said, “and we wouldn’t do that and I’ve never believed in redshirting guys you didn’t have a great belief in to be really good. I think that Jalen is one of our more skilled players, and I think he’s a talent, but the last 10 days leading up to the games, he really wore down a little bit physically.
“He’s worked really hard at trying to get his weight up. He’s been a real pleasure to coach. It was a tough decision, and we really weren’t even thinking about it until really the last 10 days.”